Emotion, technical skill and passion are three things that can make or break a musician. Musicians often have two of the traits but it’s the rare three trait-bearing musician who can make it big. I’ve heard one recently; his name is Edo Castro.

Edo Castro is a jazz bassist hailing from the San Francisco Bay area. He taught himself to play and later attended The American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Castro holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in jazz studies and electric bass. Castro was exposed to many different styles of music, having grown up in the 60’s, but was infatuated with the likes of Bill Evans, Paul Desmond and other jazz greats.

Kai Horsthemke of SABassPlayers.com said it perfectly when he wrote “Castro is much more concerned with mood and texture, not to mention melody, than with extroverted, chops-flashing bravado.” While Castro doesn’t shred as much as other prominent bassists, his technical prowess and emotive expressiveness remind you that there is more to bass playing (and music in general) than showing listeners your lightning-fast chops.